Rotation periods of Kepler MS stars

Our automated autocorrelation-based method detected rotation periods between 0.2 and 70 days for 34030 (25.6%) of the 133030 main-sequence Kepler targets (excluding known eclipsing binaries and Kepler Objects of Interest), making this the largest sample of stellar rotation periods to date. In this paper we consider the detailed features of the now well-populated period-temperature distribution and demonstrate that the period bimodality, first seen by McQuillan et al. (2013MNRAS.432.1203M) in the M-dwarf sample, persists to higher masses, becoming less visible above 0.6M_{sun}_.

We show that these results are globally consistent with the existing ground-based rotation-period data and find that the upper envelope of the period distribution is broadly consistent with a gyrochronological age of 4.5Gyr, based on the isochrones of Barnes (2007ApJ...669.1167B), Mamajek, & Hillenbrand (Cat. J/ApJ/687/1264) and Meibom et al. (Cat. J/ApJ/695/679).